[Cdis99]

 
This discussion began when someone posted a problem they were having with a possible virus on their computer.
 
I am by no means a computer expert, but after this discussion I did a good amount of research on the best antivirus/spyware & adware programs available. I figured I'd post some of the better programs I found and the hopefully be a help to someone who may not know that much about how to protect their PC properly.
 
These are the current programs I use:
 
avast! 5.0: Offers real time protection, one of the best free antivirus softwares out there. Other good programs I encountered during my search were Microsoft Security Essentials and Avira.
 
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and SuperAntiSpyware: Before doing this research, I used only once scanner. One common theme I found amongst most so-called "experts" was that installing, and using, two malware/spyware scanners is one of the best things you can do for your computer. Both of these programs got rave reviews from PCMag and CNET.
 
Basically, using two scanners gives you double the chance of catching and removing malware from your system.
 
SpywareBlaster: In addition to the scanners listed above, I use SpywareBlaster. Since Wikipedia does a much better job of explaining what this program does, here's a quote from their page, "SpywareBlaster blocks the installation of most ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers and other unwanted programs from the user's computer. SpywareBlaster works by blacklisting the CLSID of known malware programs, effectively preventing them from infecting a protected computer. This approach differs from many other anti-spyware programs, which typically offer the user a possibility to "scan" the memory and hard drive of the computer and remove the unwanted software, after it has been installed."
 
In conclusion, it stops the malware/spyware before it has a chance to infect your computer. This just adds another layer of protection.
 
Adblock Plus and NoScript Firefox add-ons. If you're using IE, I would advise you switch over to firefox. Not only is it faster and safer, the numerous add-ons that are available make it possible to customize it any way you want to. 
 
From the Adblock Plus website, "The add-on is supported by over forty filter subscriptions in dozens of languages which automatically configure it for purposes ranging from removing online advertising to blocking all known malware domains. Adblock Plus also allows you to customize your filters with the assistance of a variety of useful features, including a context option for images, a block tab for Flash and Java objects, and a list of blockable items to remove scripts and stylesheets."
 
From the NoScript website, "It allows JavaScript, Java and other executable content to run only from trusted domains of your choice, e.g. your home-banking web site, guarding your "trust boundaries" against cross-site scripting attacks (XSS), cross-zone DNS rebinding / CSRF attacks (router hacking), and Clickjacking attempts, thanks to its unique ClearClick technology... uch a preemptive approach prevents exploitation of security vulnerabilities (known and even unknown!) with no loss of functionality.
 
 
There are other options out there. (Yes, MSE and Avira are good.) However, I have found that these programs protect your PC from all angles, all at no cost. Not only that, they all play well together and are lightweight (don't slow down your system... i.e your browsing speeds will be the same). The only program which is constantly running in the background is avast!.
 
Do keep in mind, no machine can replace common sense. If something looks suspicious, just avoid it. There's no such thing as full proof protection. If you take the proper precautions and use these programs, you should never have another virus or worm harm your PC again.
 
Hope this helped someone 

 

[ArmAndHammer]

I use AVG and never have issues along with Malwarebytes.

 

[KingStyles]

Spybot works good for me.

 

[batphink]

AVG used to be pretty good but a few months ago it turned into a bloated piece of nagware.  I replaced it with MSE and couldn't be happier.

 

[jbluzb86]

microsoft in house anti-virus has kept me safe and a thinking brain

 

[jasonb]

Linux is my antivirus software.

 

[Jubei]

I used AVG for years, but gave up a year or two ago when it started to nag me and return false positives. I am using avast! now and works fine. I read that the Microsoft offering is the way to go now, but have been too lazy to switch.

 

[cowjuan]

avast was the best free antivirus back when i had a pc.

 it detected and eliminated viruses that avg couldn't. but now i have a mac. 

 

[Bop]

Avira Antivir was recommended to me by a Korean computer tech and it's quite effective.  My sister computer happens to get a lot of viruses and it gets the job done.  Having used AVG before, I'd say that Avira is much better...the free version is plenty good  

 

[Welly Wu]

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 is a safe and secure web browser that is suitable for production usage. It is the most patched and updated web browser on the market with the largest share of users worldwide. I use it on occasion and I feel safe doing so. Disabling unnecessary ActiveX and toolbars along with add-ons helps to keep the web browser running smoothly.
 
I use Symantec Norton 360 version 4 along with paid versions of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Super Anti-Spyware Professional. I also downloaded and installed EMET, Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, FileHippo, and Secunia PSI. These essential utilities keep me very safe and secure even while running Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit as an Administrator.
 
The problem with free antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-spyware software is that they don't compete against their paid commercial versions for the very best protection possible. Then, there are the annoying reminders to buy them to receive the maximum level of protection available from each software vendor. Or, there are limitations that are imposed for trial software. These are the factors that motivated me to buy my security software. I very rarely run into viruses, spyware, or malware and when I do get an infection, my security software cleans it out quickly and effectively.
 
For those that don't want to pay for protection, I say that you may want to reconsider because your life is on your computer nowadays and you deserve the very best protection available. That costs money. Even being very careful is not enough with the number of hideous dangers available on the Internet or your local area connected network.
 
Of course, there are plenty of bad software applications that break computers or wind up bricking them. AVG Free 2011 did so which required its users to take complex steps to resolve the problem.

 

[Proglover]

Avast

 

[Maverickmonk]

Quote:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 is a safe and secure web browser that is suitable for production usage. It is the most patched and updated web browser on the market with the largest share of users worldwide. I use it on occasion and I feel safe doing so. Disabling unnecessary ActiveX and toolbars along with add-ons helps to keep the web browser running smoothly.
 
I use Symantec Norton 360 version 4 along with paid versions of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Super Anti-Spyware Professional. I also downloaded and installed EMET, Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, FileHippo, and Secunia PSI. These essential utilities keep me very safe and secure even while running Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit as an Administrator.
 
The problem with free antivirus, anti-malware, and anti-spyware software is that they don't compete against their paid commercial versions for the very best protection possible. Then, there are the annoying reminders to buy them to receive the maximum level of protection available from each software vendor. Or, there are limitations that are imposed for trial software. These are the factors that motivated me to buy my security software. I very rarely run into viruses, spyware, or malware and when I do get an infection, my security software cleans it out quickly and effectively.
 
For those that don't want to pay for protection, I say that you may want to reconsider because your life is on your computer nowadays and you deserve the very best protection available. That costs money. Even being very careful is not enough with the number of hideous dangers available on the Internet or your local area connected network.
 
Of course, there are plenty of bad software applications that break computers or wind up bricking them. AVG Free 2011 did so which required its users to take complex steps to resolve the problem.

IMHO and all the other disclaimers apply, but I prefer Avast over both AVG (which became bloated and slowed performance) and Norton. I still feel that Norton affects system performance more than AVG, and isn't measurably better. Its also not free, which gives it that much more of an uphill battle so far as I'm concerned. I also use AdAware and Spybot, along with CCleaner on a monthly basis

 

[Sanveann]

I use Avira and Malware Bytes. No probs so far!

 

[JiggaD369]

Forget everything else posted above.
 
Comodo. Firewall + AV + beast. 

 

[Welly Wu]

Comodo is good stuff, but it is not nearly as comprehensive as Norton Antivirus and Personal Firewall. It also lacks a backup utility found in Symantec Norton 360 version 4.